


The Wicked Walk on Every Side

by Straight_Arrow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Original Work, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: All three of them have pets and they're sweet, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexual Wolfbane Shadow, Depression, F/F, Gay Male Character, Gay Maxentius Antell, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lesbian Belladonna Shadow, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Character of Color, Lesbian Solana 'Lana' Gardener, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phantom of the Opera parallels later in the story, References to Depression, The Shadow Siblings are amazing, Transgender Ryot Byrne, Wolfbane has a sweet tooth, transgender character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-08-28 04:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16716701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Straight_Arrow/pseuds/Straight_Arrow
Summary: "His mother placed a plate of food in front of him. It was filled with eggs and bacon and hash browns with little bits of green bell peppers in them. In all honesty, it looked delicious, but Wolfbane didn't want to eat. His twin sister grabbed his hand under the table. Wolfbane decided that one plate of food for his twin sister was the least that he could do."Wolfbane Foxglove Shadow loves his friends and family, and is loved by his friends and family. He has two beautiful sisters, two loving parents, and some of the best friends you could ask for. However, he has a hard time loving himself, and that's where his trouble stems from.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so, this was something that I had originally started three or four years ago when I was in sixth grade with my bestest friend, and I just recently found it again and thought, "You know, maybe I should pick this back up," so I have.  
> I wanted to give credit to my friend, Maddy, because without her, we wouldn't have Maxentius or Solana. She beta'd this for me when I had originally posted it on Fanfiction.net, and she helps me take this idea and grow with it and take it deeper than it would have originally gone.  
> Like I mentioned before, I had posted this on ff.net, but I hadn't updated in four years and it didn't do quite that well.   
> (I like to think that was because ff.net is a fossil at this point)  
> So, if you stumbled upon this humble work of mine and decide to stick with it, I am eternally grateful. Kudos' and comments add approximately 4 years onto my life span, and they also inspire me to write more, so that's a plus.   
> Until we meet again, dear reader, I shall pore over my tomes and edit my scriptures to your satisfaction.   
> Have a lovely day :)

    _Wolfbane couldn’t see. Everything was as black as pitch. He couldn’t speak. No matter how hard he tried to, he couldn’t seem to even mutter a word. He couldn’t move. He strained his muscles, trying to blink, scratch his nose, anything. But nothing happened. All he knew was that it was cold. So cold._  
_The teenage boy started to hyperventilate. He hated the dark and the creatures that seemed to stalk him when the lights went out. His breathing increased in pace until his body was shaking and he had to gasp to even inhale properly. Suddenly, a small light, like the flickering light of a candle, appeared in front of him._  
_Wolfbane stood, despite the protesting in his legs, and tried to walk towards the light. Instead of getting closer, like he expected, it seemed to get farther away from him with every step. He started to run at the light, thinking that the faster he traveled towards the small pin prick of light, the faster he would arrive in front of it. Unfortunately, Wolfbane’s theory was incorrect. The faster he ran, the faster the light seemed to travel away from him._  
_He fell to his knees, wheezing and gasping, trying to regain his breath. The air around him was so frigid that his breath came out in a wispy cloud of white. Wolfbane shivered violently. He spat a curse and slammed his shaking fist into the ground, letting out a broken sob when he realized how much it actually hurt. The sound seemed to echo, the sound waves bouncing off walls and ceiling for what seemed like forever. Eventually, after an eternity of listening to his broken sob again and again and again, the sound faded into the endless black that surrounded him, and he felt alone again._  
_Then, a haunting melody seemed to seep through the infinite blackness, bringing with it color. Beautiful blues, and gorgeous greens. It started out soft, so soft that the blonde boy had to strain his ears to hear it, but the volume was increasing with every second. The music seemed to paint a picture around Wolfbane. He sat and listened to it for what seemed like hours, the classical music, which sounded suspiciously like Schubert’s Serenade, comforting him, yet sending a chill running down his spine at the same time. After watching blues and greens and purples run together in front and around him, he was quite startled to see a stunning scarlet suddenly bloom like a crimson rose on the ground in front of him._  
_Wolfbane extended his arm in front of him, trying to touch the red. When his fingers finally came in contact with the pool of ruby, the scene suddenly changed. He was on his knees in the middle of his living room floor. His hand felt something warm and thick . He brought his hand up in front of his face. To Wolfbane’s horror, his hand was stained with blood. He looked down at the floor, and immediately found the source._  
_Wolfbane’s entire family lay in crumpled heaps on the floor. He saw his older sister, Belladonna, her black hair spilling about her like silk. His twin sister, Atropa, laid with her pale face toward the ceiling, her brown eyes open and seemingly lifeless._  
_Wolfbane, who couldn't find the strength to stand, crawled over to his twin. Out of all the blood that was oozing onto the floor, hers was the most sickening to look at. He picked up Atropa’s hand and held it to his cheek. He started sobbing uncontrollably. He cried like that for several minutes before he heard a rasping sound, which was coming from his twin's throat._  
_"W-wake u-up." Atropa said in a soft, raspy voice. Wolfbane opened his eyes, which he had closed when he had begun to cry, and looked at his twin's face. Her eyes, once a rich coffee brown, now a color equivalent to ditch water, were trained on his face._  
_She opened her pale, chapped, lips, and said, "Wake up!" The voice in which she spoke was not her own. It sounded suspiciously like his mother._  
_Wolfbane looked over to where his mother was lying, and found that no, his mother was not the one that was speaking. This confused him greatly, because he had been sure that the voice he had just heard was his mother's. The teenage boy felt a tug on his wrist and he looked back down at his twin._  
_She shakily raised her eyebrows into an elegant arch, and said in a much louder voice than before, "WAKE UP!"_

~

   Wolfbane sat up quickly, knocking his head against something solid, make the headache he had developed even worse. His eyes felt like they were throbbing in the sockets, and his brain didn’t feel much better. He opened his eyes and saw his mother standing over his bed, holding her forehead. Behind her were his two sisters, both looking genuinely concerned.  
    “Ouch!” His mother said. She rubbed her forehead to try and get rid of the dull ache.  
    "Sorry, Mum.” Wolfbane said quietly. He pinched the front of his long sleeved shirt and pulled it away from his chest, finding that it had been plastered there with sweat. As he stretched, his joints cracked and popped in a way that felt satisfying. Wolfbane tried in vain to remember what his nightmare had been about, but no matter how hard he tried, his mind kept drawing a blank.  
    Atropa, who had noticed that her twin brother had been tensely spacing off, carefully tread over to his bedside. She took his slightly trembling hand from beneath the covers where he had had it, and started to stroke her thumb over his palm in a circular motion. The action had always calmed him, even when he had been a toddler. Wolfbane almost instantly calmed down. He leaned into his sister’s shoulder and took a shaky breath.  
    The sleeve of his shirt began to ride up his arm slightly, showing the beginning of starch white bandages. Wolfbane noticed and was quick to yank his sleeve back down.  
    His mother gave him a tense and worried look before saying, “You three are going to be late for the train if you don’t hurry up and get dressed.”  
    Belladonna, who was already dressed in a black sundress and a pair of silver leggings, came over and gave them both a hug. She gave Wolfbane an extra kiss on the forehead for comfort, then proceeded to pull Atropa out of the room so that Wolfbane could change in privacy. His mother followed the two girls and shut the door with a soft click.  
    Wolfbane stretched again and threw his legs over the side of his bed. He slowly walked over to his wardrobe and grabbed a blue and black flannel, a white tank top to go under it, a pair of jeans and his favorite pair of converses.  
    As he changed, he took time to re-bandage the recent cuts on his arms and sides. When he was done bandaging, he tilted his head up and looked in the mirror. A pair of acid green eyes looked back at him. His mocha face was thin and his cheeks were hollowing out as each day passed. He parted his short blonde hair and gelled it into place. He grabbed his prescription glasses, put them on his narrow nose, and went downstairs.  
    Peppermint, his pet peregrine falcon, was perched on the stairs railing, waiting for Wolfbane to come down and feed him. The auburn colored falcon had a parchment envelope clutched in its beak.  
    “Hey girl.” Said Wolfbane, gently petting his companion between her wings. He took the letter, and then promptly fed her a falcon treat that he had gotten at Eeylops Owl Emporium the other day when the family had taken a trip to Diagon Alley.  
    Wolfbane walked over to the kitchen table and sat down, setting the envelope on the table. He then opened it and read it. The letter was from his best friend, Aster. She had asked how he was and if he was doing okay. Seeing as he would see her on the train to Hogwarts today, he didn’t see reason in writing her back.  
    His mother, father, and both of his sisters waltzed into the room. He quickly hid the letter, and acted like he wasn’t doing anything in particular. He didn’t want them to worry about it, because it would just cause stress in their lives that they didn’t need.  
    His mother placed a plate of food in front of him. It was filled with eggs and bacon and hash browns with little bits of green bell pepper in them. In all honesty, it looked delicious, but didn’t want to eat. His twin grabbed his hand under the table, and Wolfbane decided that one plate of food for his twin sister was the least that he could do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day is quite the accomplishment for me, however don't get used to it. Once I edit my old chapters and post them all, I'll have to write completely new chapters so it'll take me longer. I'll have Maddy kick my ass into shape so I write often :)   
> Anyway, here's the chapter (which is significantly longer than the first one). It's filled with even more angst and you'll just have to deal with that, I guess. I do believe next chapter you'll get to meet Mordecai and Maxentius, so stay tuned for that :)

    If there was one person on this Earth that hated crowded spaces more than he did, Wolfbane would love to meet them. He hated the feeling of people breathing down his neck, and he just couldn’t bring himself to think about how many germs and pathogens were floating around in the air right now. He clutched Atropa’s hand tightly to ensure that he didn’t get lost in this endless sea of people. 

By the time the Shadow family reached Platform 9 ¾, Wolfbane was about ready to start throwing elbows. Atropa noticed how tense her twin was and began to calm him once again by taking her thumb and rubbing it in a circular motion around his palm. Like earlier that morning, he almost instantly calmed down. 

“Alright! Off you get!” Said their father, pointing to the barrier with a huge smile on his face. 

Belladonna, being the big sister that she is, went first. She clutched her hands around the handle of her trolley and began to run at the brick wall. Her pet rabbit, Witch Hazel, made a small noise of surprise when it saw that they were running at a, supposedly, solid brick wall. Wolfbane was a little shocked at this, seeing as Belladonna had had that rabbit for as long as he could remember, and she always took it to Hogwarts with her, so the rabbit should be used to it now. Apparently not. 

    Belladonna slipped through the barrier and their mother motioned for Atropa to go next. Atropa ran up to their mother, her brown hair flowing like a banner behind her, and gave her a hug that could have easily been compared to getting a hug from a bear. While Atropa was hugging their mother, Wolfbane noticed a small spot of green on the sweater she was wearing. He gave an amused huff as he instantly recognised it as Pike, Atropa’s pet Bowtruckle. 

    Wolfbane rolled his eyes and started for the barrier before his sister could notice. He would have Peppermint (who was sitting in her ornate cage on top of his trunk on the trolley) deliver a letter to his mum and dad while he was on the train. 

    Everything was like a competition between the three siblings. Every morning it was a race to see who could get ready first, who could finish their breakfast first (Atropa or Belladonna always won that one), and who could get out the door first. Of course, this was during the summer. Now that they were going back to school, it would be who could get to class first, who could get the most points for their house, and obviously, who won the Quidditch Cup. It was a little unfair, seeing as Belladonna was Head Girl and a Prefect for Slytherin, but this just made the twins try harder. Last year, Ravenclaw won the Quidditch Cup, and Wolfbane obviously got big points for that, considering he had beat Hufflepuff during the last game. Atropa had been so mad at him. Wolfbane walked over to Belladonna, who was talking to her friend Abbey Venice. 

    “Hallo!” Abbey said to Wolfbane as he approached the two girls. She turned to Belladonna and said, “Isn’t he just too cute! Look at those gorgeous eyes!” Then, in a whisper, she added, “Is he single?” 

    Belladonna looked as equally surprised as Wolfbane did at the question. Wolfbane’s face flushed so much that you could see it over his mocha complexion. He gave his big sister a look that said  _ Gryffindor. Help. _

    Belladonna was about to say something to save her poor brother from anymore embarrassment, when Atropa walked over to them slung her arm around Wolfbane’s shoulders and with a huge smirk, said, “Yes, he is. This stud muffin stand is open for business. But not for you. You don’t exactly have the right...” She paused, looking at Abbey suggestively. “Equipment. If you know what I mean.” 

    Wolfbane hid his face in his hands, not entirely covering up the blush, which had spread like a wildfire to his ears and forehead. Belladonna quickly said goodbye to Abbey and ushered her two younger siblings onto the train. She found an empty compartment and put all of their luggage on the rack above the seats. She then sat down across from the twins and gave Atropa a sceptical look. 

    While Belladonna was busy lecturing Atropa, Wolfbane took out a bit of parchment and began to write to his parents. It wasn’t anything big or fancy, just a note saying that he missed them already, and he loved them very much. 

    Wolfbane folded up the letter, and stuck it in his pocket while he took Peppermint out of her cage. “Take this to Mum and Dad, okay girl?” he said. The peregrine falcon gave Wolfbane a little peck on the finger (with affection, of course) and took off out of the window with the letter. 

    Wolfbane tuned back into the conversation between his two sisters just as Belladonna mentioned his name. 

    “Atropa, you know how sensitive Wolfbane is about that topic,” the eldest sister said.

    Atropa hid her face in her sweater and said something illegible. Belladonna raised an eyebrow and asked her what it was that she said.  

    Wolfbane, however, sighed and said, “It’s fine.”

    His older sister gave him a look and said, “No, it is not fine.” 

    Belladonna grabbed Wolfbane underneath his arms and lifted him up to set him next to her. He blushed, embarrassed that his sister lifted him like a five year old child. She put his head on her shoulder and gave him a hug. 

    “Honey, you’re too light. Are you eating alright?” Belladonna gave him a worried look. 

    Wolfbane stiffened immediately at this question. He wanted to tell her, he truly did, but he didn’t want her to worry about him. She had enough stress as it is, he’s sure. He didn’t want to add to that. 

    Atropa gave him a sad look and said, “This is the third time you’ve been stressed today, Wolfy. What’s wrong?” 

    His twin then began working her calming magic as she stroked his palm with her thumb for the third time that day. This time though, it failed to work. 

    Wolfbane teared up.He was just a big burden to everyone. At this thought, he could no longer control the tears that began running down his face. Belladonna laid his head down on her lap as he cried, stroking his hair, which had became un-gelled and reverted back to its curly state. Belladonna reached down with her other hand and grabbed his glasses off of his damp nose. Atropa patted his back and continued to stroke his palm. 

    Just when Wolfbane had quieted down to just sniffles, the train went through a tunnel, and everything went black. Wolfbane’s eyes widened and he teared up again. His breathing was hitched and rapid as he started to hyperventilate. The dark was suffocating. 

_     “Lumos!”  _ Belladonna said, and a small light appeared at the end of her wand. Atropa did the same, and the compartment was filled with light again. Wolfbane’s hyperventilating slowed down slightly, but it was still fast enough to be worrying. 

    The two sisters looked down at their brother and their hearts broke. Wolfbane was clutching Belladonna’s leg in a vice like grip, crying so hard that his body shook like a leaf in the wind. 

    Belladonna had a sudden moment of genius. She continued to stroke her little brother’s hair, took a deep breath, and started to sing. Her voice wasn’t the best, and it was slightly lower than it needed to be, but nevertheless, she persisted.

_ “In sleep he sang to me, _

_ In dreams he came. _

_ That voice which calls to me, _

_ And speaks my name. _

_ And do I dream again? _

_ For now I find, _

_ The Phantom of the Opera is there. _

_ Inside my mind.” _

__ Wolfbane’s crying slowed down a bit as he recognised the song. He sniffed a little, then decided that he would join in. 

_ “Sing once again with me, _

_ Our strange duet. _

_ My power over you,  _

_ Grows stronger yet. _

_ And though you turn from me, _

_ To glance behind, _

_ The Phantom of the Opera is there, _

_ Inside your mind.” _

    His voice hiccupped, and he spoke it rather than sang it, but the familiar lyrics still helped him. Belladonna smiled down at her younger brother as he started to nod off. Wolfbane tried to fight it, but exhaustion eventually overtook him, much to his dismay. The eldest sister continued to hum the rest of the song. Atropa looked at her twin as a tear started to run down her cheek.

    “Why is he so sad?” She asked, wiping away the tear before Belladonna could see it. 

    Her older sister gave her a sad look before laying down Wolfbane on the seat and sitting across from him. 

    “I don’t know, Sweetheart. I don’t know. But I do know that we are going to be there for him, and support him no matter what,” Belladonna said, hugging her younger sister and watching Wolfbane for any signs of distress on his sleeping face.

    “I’m going to find the sweets trolley,” said Atropa. Wolfbane has a sweet tooth, and make some licorice wands will make him feel a little better when he wakes up. 

    “Okay, but don’t be long. We only have a few more hours before we are to arrive,” Belladonna said as Atropa walked out of the compartment, mindfully being quiet so that she wouldn’t wake up Wolfbane.

    Before she closed the door, she looked back and whispered, “Sweet dreams, Wolfy.” 

-

    Several, dreamless hours later, Wolfbane was being shaken awake by Belladonna. 

    “Rise and shine, Wolfy. Time to change.” His older sister cooed. The teenage boy was truly amazed. This was the first time he had slept good in a long while, and he didn’t want to get up quite yet. Wolfbane sat up nevertheless. 

    “Thank you,” he muttered. Wolfbane was embarrassed that he had let himself get that out of control earlier. He mentally kick himself. 

    Belladonna’s face instantly crumbled and she embraced him. 

    “Anything for you, baby brother,” She said as she wiped her eyes and pulled away. 

    Belladonna pointed to a stack of robes on the seats opposite of him and Wolfbane got the message. His older sister walked out of the compartment and shut the door. 

    The teenage boy stood and took of his flannel. He looked down at his bandaged wrists. Wolfbane sighed and was about to replace the bandages, when Belladonna came back into the compartment. Wolfbane scattered to try and put his flannel back on, but he just wasn’t quick enough.

    Belladonna instantly looked to where he was looking, which happened to be his wrists. The tears which she had been sure were gone, resurfaced again as she saw the state of his wrists.

    “Oh, Wolfy.” She said. Her voice quivered so much that Wolfbane could barely make out the words she had said. 

    “ _ Bells _ ,” Wolfbane managed to choke out the nickname for his older sister. 

    Instead of yelling at her to  _ get out,  _ he walked over to his older sister and wrapped his scarred arms around her shoulders. 

_     You’re a burden.  _

_     “ _ We’re going to talk about this later,” Belladonna said.

_     Look at what you’ve done.  _

    “You’re not in trouble Wolfy, but we do need to talk about this,” 

_     You don’t deserve to live _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maddy, bless her probably stressed out heart, has been pushing me to get this done. Maddy, if you’re reading this, you’re doing amazing queen! Keep it up!  
> So, here’s the chapter. We get to meet little Mordecai and also two mysterious figures who are going to play an important role throughout the duration of this story.   
> Enjoy, dear readers :)

    The Great Hall was teeming with people, and the Shadow siblings were struggling to stay together as they progressed through the crowd. Wolfbane was holding the back of Belladonna’s cloak and Atropa’s hand like lifeline. The Shadow siblings looked like a line of ducklings as they walked through the large dining room.

    As they reached the front, Belladonna turned to the twins and said, “Don’t you dare hesitate to come to me if something is wrong, you hear me?”

    Wolfbane knew that the comment had been directed towards the both of them, but he felt as if Belladonna was directing more towards him then Atropa.

    Wolfbane did a sort of mock salute and said, “Yes, ma’am!”

    Atropa elbowed him lightly in the side and giggled. Belladonna gave them both a stern look and hugged them, her ink black hair tickling Wolfbane’s nose.

    She pulled back and swished her hair over her shoulder, saying, “You should get to your tables. McGonagall is going to start the Sorting Ceremony soon.”

    With that being said, Belladonna scurried over to the Slytherin table, her green eyes glinting as she started an animated conversation with someone beside her. Wolfbane turned to Atropa then, hugging her tighter than Belladonna had. Atropa hugged back, and Wolfbane could feel a wet patch forming on his shoulder from Atropa, who had started crying.

    Wolfbane pulled back slightly to look his twin in the face. Her eyes were red rimmed, even though she had just started crying.

    “‘Tropa, what’s wrong?” Wolfbane asked, his voice wavering slightly.

    Atropa looked at him, hugged him one last time, and then scurried off to the Hufflepuff table. Wolfbane started to slightly panic. He had hurt her, Wolfbane was sure of it. He stiffened and slowly walked over to the Ravenclaw table, sitting away from the other Ravenclaws.

    He watched with a faux interest as McGonagall lead the tiny first years to the front of the room and set the Sorting Hat on the stool. The first years were so excited about being sorted, and Wolfbane almost wished that he could be that young again. He wished he could go back to being a happy child who didn’t have to deal with the stress and anxiety of the secret that he kept on his shoulders. McGonagall unrolled the parchment and read the first name.

    “Arion, Mordecai.” She said loud and clear, her voice striking.

    A small boy with a mop of technicolor blue hair and large circular glasses walked up to the stool and sat down. He was bouncing so much that the hat fell off of his head. With a sigh, McGonagall placed the hat back on the boy’s head and the room fell into a quiet trance, waiting for the hat to make its decision.

    The hat opened up the huge ripped seam that served as its mouth and shouted, “RAVENCLAW!”

    The Ravenclaws, being who they were, didn’t yell and cheer to incredibly loud, but they did cheer nonetheless as the young boy with the technicolor blue hair came over and sat down next to Wolfbane.

    “Hallo! My name’s Mordecai Arion! What’s yours?” The boy, Mordecai, said, extending his arm forward so that Wolfbane could shake his hand.

    Wolfbane looked at Mordecai warily and decided that he would give the boy a chance. He remembered being so lonely in his House for the first couple of months of his first year. To be completely honest, Wolfbane was still lonely, he just talked to people a little bit more after those first few months.

    “Wolfbane Foxglove Shadow.” He said, taking Mordecai’s small, frail, hand in his own and giving it a small shake. “How d’you do?”

    Mordecai’s purple eyes seemed to sparkle underneath his glasses as he said, “Your last name is Shadow? That is _so_ cool!”

    In this moment, Mordecai reminded Wolfbane of an excited puppy. He smirked and ruffled Mordecai’s blue hair, making it messier than it was before. Wolfbane pushed his glasses up on his narrow nose, and Mordecai did the same. He realized that this little first year was like the little brother that Wolfbane never had. He loved his siblings to pieces, but he had always wanted to be a big brother.

    McGonagall, who had just finished sorting the First years, clanked her fork against her goblet in order to get everyone’s attention.

    “Welcome, to those of you returning to Hogwarts, and welcome to our first years.” She said, beginning her speech just like she did every year.

    Wolfbane tuned her out and look across the Great Hall at his sisters, and found two pairs of eyes looking right back at him. Belladonna’s green ones looking worried, and Atropa’s brown ones looking sorrowful. He felt a pang of guilt when he looked at Atropa. Wolfbane made a mental note to speak to her later.

    Wolfbane jumped slightly when the food appeared on the table. After being here for three years now, he should have gotten used to food appearing and disappearing in rapid succession, but it is what is. He wasn’t hungry in the slightest anyway, so he didn’t pay it any mind.

    Wolfbane felt a tug at the sleeve of his robes and looked down. Mordecai’s purple eyes were still sparkling like a wildfire.

    “Who is that?” asked Mordecai, pointing at Belladonna across the room.

    “Why?”

    “I just wanted to know because she is _bloody_ gorgeous!”

    “One, watch your language. Two, that’s my older sister, Belladonna.” Wolfbane said, slightly uncomfortable with that fact that a first year was hitting on his fourth year sister.

    “Oh this is great! D’you think you could introduce me?” Mordecai said. The young boy had so much hope in his eyes that Wolfbane just couldn’t say no.

    “Fine. But you have to promise me that I won’t catch you snogging in the broom cupboard or something like that.” Wolfbane said jokingly. He knew his sister would just coo at Mordecai and tell him something like _you_ _are_ _way_ _too_ _handsome_ _for_ _me_ or _I_ _could_ _never_ _take_ _such_ _a_ _stunning_ _lad_ _off_ _the_ _market_. His sister was weird like that.

    Wolfbane caught Belladonna’s eyes and motioned for her to come over to the Ravenclaw table. She stood gracefully and walked over quickly. She sat down in an empty seat across from Wolfbane and looked at him.

    “What’s wrong?” Belladonna said, worry written on her face.

    “Nothing’s wrong, Bells, I just wanted to introduce you to someone I just m-”

    A flash of auburn red caught Wolfbane’s eye, startling him. He looked over his sister's’ shoulder to get a better look and saw the most incredible sight.

    A tall boy stood up at the Gryffindor table, his auburn hair shaved on the left side; his golden eyes looked liked gold coins in a pool of water. His robes were slightly askew, and his scarlet and gold tie was untied.

    The boy caught Wolfbane’s eye from across the room and dropped a wink. His smile widened when he saw how much Wolfbane blushed. Belladonna waved her hand in front of Wolfbane’s face to get his attention.

    “Wolfy, what’s up?” Said Belladonna, looking slightly bewildered and more concerned than before.

    Wolfbane looked away from the Gryffindor boy and shook his head. “Sorry. Anyway, this is Mordecai Arion. I thought you might want to meet him.”

    “You’re _gorgeous_!” Said Mordecai, who then proceeded to blush.

    Belladonna’s eyes widened as she looked at this small boy who had just called her ‘ _gorgeous_ ’. Then she smiled.

“Well, Mordecai, you’re a good looking bloke yourself.” She said. Wolfbane almost burst into laughter at the look of Mordecai’s face. The boy looked like he was about to pass out from shock.

Wolfbane cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. “Like I said, Mordecai. No snogging in the broom closet. She is my sister, you know. I’ve got to look out for her.”

Belladonna hit him lightly upside the head and laughed.

“Also, tell Atropa that I need to talk to her in the morning. It’s important.” Wolfbane said. Belladonna nodded and walked off towards the Slytherin table.

“I do believe that it’s time to turn in for now. Prefects, please lead the first years to their dormitories.” Mcgonagall said, standing herself to return to her room.

Mordecai stood, waved to Wolfbane, and scurried off after the other first years. Wolfbane stood and started his trek to Ravenclaw common room.

 

After walking up staircase after staircase, Wolfbane finally made it to the common room and the dormitories. He climbed up yet another staircase to his dormitory and walked inside, not surprised to see that there was already someone in there.

“Hallo.” Wolfbane said to the boy who was digging through his trunk looking for something.

The boy looked over at Wolfbane, tried to stammer a reply, and then blushed. He composed himself for a second, his shoulders going slightly rigid, and then got into his bed and closed the curtains. Wolfbane just shrugged and laid down in his bed. He thought about how he was going to have to plead forgiveness of his twin for making her cry tomorrow. He thought about how he had gained a new best friend today, without even trying. He thought about the boy who was sleeping in the bed across the room from him, and how the boy had been uncomfortable around him. He thought about how little Mordecai had more confidence that Wolfbane would ever have, even at such a young age.

Wolfbane closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. He knew that he needed at least _some_  sleep, even if he was scared to do so, because he had classes tomorrow. It took him about two hours of tossing and turning to finally go to sleep. Even when he did manage to go sleep, he continued to think. Wolfbane dreamt of gold eyes and Gryffindors, and it was the best night of sleep he had ever had.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here you go, ya deviants   
> As always, my lovely girl Maddy, lots of love and support <3  
> Onto the chapter, shall we?

    The next morning, after a collective two hours of sleep, Wolfbane woke to the sound of a soft voice singing. He didn’t recognize the song at first, but as he began to come to his senses, Wolfbane figured out the song that the voice was singing. He and his sisters would occasionally sing the song around the house when doing chores or something or other. 

 

_ “Masquerade _

_ Paper faces on parade _

_ Masquerade _

_ Hide your face so the world may never find you” _

 

    Wolfbane turned around to look at the person who’s back was facing him and was singing. 

    It registered in his brain that it was the boy that he was sharing a room with. The boy had really pale skin and slightly silver hair, and was wearing a white button up with black trousers. The boy was thin and lithe, and sort of tall. Out of habit, Wolfbane started to sing along.

 

“ _ Masquerade _

_ Every face a different shade _

_ Masquerade _

_ Look around there’s another mask behind you” _

 

    The boy turned around swiftly and looked at Wolfbane with wide eyes, his pale skin betraying the blush that had started to spread across his high cheekbones. 

    “I apologize, I didn’t mean to disturb your sleep.” The boy said. 

    At this point, Wolfbane had started to get a small blush as well. He hadn’t meant to startle the silver haired boy. He sort of reminded Wolfbane of a startled faun.  

    Wolfbane grabbed his prescription glasses from the bedside table and put them on his slender nose.

    “It’s completely fine!” Wolfbane reassured the taller boy, brushing his fingers through his messy blonde hair. “What’s your name?” 

    “Antell. Maxentius Antell,” The boy answered, dipping into a bow. He straightened back up, and reached for a black waist length cloak that was embroidered with gold thread. 

    “My name’s Wolfbane Shadow.” Wolfbane said, slowly standing up from his bed to get his own clothes. He gave Maxentius an odd look, but quickly continued his morning routine. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the other boy’s choice of clothing, he just hadn’t seen someone choose something of that caliber to wear on the first day of classes. 

    Maxentius draped the cloak over his slim shoulders, and fastened the brass closing at his neck. 

    “How do you feel about your classes this year?” Maxentius asked as he looked over his appearance in a full length mirror. He grabbed a matching hat with a sleek feather on the side and placing it on his head and tilting it to the side just so. 

    “They’re okay, I guess. I have herbology with my older sister, and transfiguration with my twin, but the rest of them I’m not so sure about,” Wolfbane replied. He inwardly cringed at how he sounded: like a little kid who didn’t know how to do anything without his sisters. 

    “My classes are as usual, I suppose,” was Maxentius’ reply. He continued to look at his chosen outfit from different angles. 

    “Ta,” Wolfbane said. He parted and gelled his hair, just like every morning. 

    “Would you like to sit with me at breakfast this morning?” Maxentius asked, coming away from the mirror to pack his bag for the day. 

    “Yeah, sure!” Wolfbane said, doing the same as Maxentius. 

    “Brilliant!” Maxentius said. “However, you might want to get dressed first.” 

    “Oh, um, yeah of course,” Wolfbane mumbled embarrassingly. 

    Wolfbane haphazardly grabbed his white button down and black pants and changed quickly, cursing at the buttons on his shirt when he couldn’t button them up fast enough. He put on his trousers, socks and shoes, then grabbed his blue and bronze tie. Wolfbane wrapped the tie around his neck and started tying it as he walked calmly with Maxentius down the stairs. Both of them had their bags, Maxentius carrying it by the short strap, and Wolfbane had thrown his over his shoulder by the long strap. 

    When Wolfbane got to the bottom of the staircase, he was attacked by a blur of cerulean blue. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maxentius startle again slightly. 

    “Good Morning, best friend! How did you sleep?” Mordecai asked, hugging Wolfbane around his middle.

    “I slept wonderfully. How about you, Mordecai?” Wolfbane said, putting on a fake smile.

    “I slept so good! The bed was so soft, and I really like the people in my dormitory. They’re so cool! Not as cool as you, though.” Mordecai said quickly. 

    At this statement, Wolfbane actually smiled. He decided that this small first year was his honorary little brother, no matter what happened. Wolfbane would protect him.

    “Let’s go get some breakfast! I’m starving!” Mordecai said, pushing the circular glasses up onto the bridge of his nose as they started to slip from all of his bouncing.

    “I second that motion,” Maxentius said with a teasing air. His face was startlingly pale against his cloak and hat, which partially his his face anyway. 

    The cerulean haired boy grabbed Wolfbane’s hand and started dragging him out of the Ravenclaw Common Room with Maxentius in tow. 

    As Wolfbane walked down the corridor with Mordecai and Maxentius, he fell into some wistful thinking. The red-haired boy had flirted with him. Well, at least Wolfbane had thought that he had. He didn’t really have experience with stuff like that, so Wolfbane didn’t really know. He was really hoping that what he saw was not flirting, and if it was, he sincerely hoped that it wasn’t directed at him. 

_     You’re just going to get hurt,  _ his  ever so helpful mind decided to chime in.

    _But what if that boy really truly did like you?_  his heart chimed back

_     No,  _ his mind said with exasperation.

    Wolfbane sighed, and slumped his shoulders, almost as if he was trying to become invisible. He then felt a tug on his arm. He looked down and saw Mordecai looking up at him with a distressed expression. Maxentius was also shooting his some worried glances from under the brim of his hat. 

    “What’s wrong?” Mordecai asked, his cerulean blue hair covering half of his little face.

    “Nothing, Bud. Everything’s alright.” Said Wolfbane with a fake smile. Maxentius didn’t look too convinced. 

    Wolfbane reached down and brushed the hair out of Mordecai’s face. The smaller boy blushed just a little bit and straightened his posture, making his stature at least four inches taller, but still only coming up to Wolfbane’s shoulder.

    Technically, Wolfbane wasn’t lying to Mordecai. He was getting worked up over nothing, and he needed to stop before the problem escalated. 

    He really wished that Belladonna was here. 

    Wolfbane started walking faster, causing little Mordecai to run in order to keep up with him. Maxentius easily kept up with the two. His cloak flared behind him as he took long strides down the corridor. 

    “Why are we running?” Mordecai said in a rushed tone. 

    “I-I just want to get to breakfast.” Wolfbane said, lying through his teeth. 

    Both Mordecai and Maxentius gave him a look, but didn’t say anything.

    He wasn’t going to eat anything. He wasn’t even hungry. He really wanted to see Atropa. They needed to talk. 

 

   As the three boys hurried into the Great Hall, they were hit with a wall of sound. Almost everybody was talking to their friends about what they did over the summer, or which classes they have with each other. All of the professors were sat up front, most of them silently surveying the room or talking quietly amongst themselves. The candles that lined the ceiling twinkled merrily and cast the room in a soft glow. 

    “Go on ahead to the table. I’ll be there in a tic.” Wolfbane said to the other two boys as he searched the room for a familiar pair of calf brown eyes.

    He walked towards the Hufflepuff table, hoping to spot her before he got there.  

    The table in and of itself looked like a massive sea of yellow. Yellow ties, yellow hair bands, yellow scrunchies, and basically the whole nine yards. It took him a moment to spot Atropa, given that she fit in perfectly in that sea of yellow, but eventually he spotted her eating her breakfast with her back turned towards him. 

    He walked over to her and tapped on her shoulder. 

    “Wolfy?” She asked as she turned around to face him. 

    “Hey ‘Tropa. I need to talk to you,” Wolfbane said, worrying the end of his sleeve between his fingers. 

    “What about?” She said, getting the little crease between her eyebrows that she got concerned. Wolfbane hated that little crease. 

    “Nothing to worry about, ‘Tropa, I just need to talk. Corridor?” He said. Belladonna was giving him concerned looks from across the room now. He could feel the weighted stares from both Maxentius and Mordecai. He started to fidget more, rocking back and forth slightly. 

    He looked towards the Gryffindor table, hoping to see the boy from yesterday, but having no such luck. Wolfbane didn’t spot him. 

    “Of course, Wolfy, come on,” Atropa said, standing and grasping Wolfbane’s hand and starting to rub her thumb over his palm as they walked out of the Great Hall. 

    The giant wooden door closed behind them, sealing the noise in. It was eerily quiet. 

    Before Atropa had the chance to say anything, Wolfbane latched his arms around her shoulders and buried his face into the side of her neck. He felt her wrap her arms around his waist, and they stood there for what felt like eternity, just breathing and settling down. 

    Wolfbane raised his head from where it had been buried and said, “I wanted to apologize for making you worry yesterday. It was never my intention, and I hate it when you worry about anything, let alone me.” He stopped for a moment, and decided to lay his head back down where it had been before. 

    “Oh Wolfy,” Atropa sighed sadly. She stroked her hand up and down his back, and she could feel the wet patch form on her shoulder from where her twin had started crying.

    The sound of clicking heels reached both of their ears, and they both tensed. Wolfbane drew away from Atropa, his eyes red rimmed and slightly puffy, and stood stock still as a shock of bright auburn hair came around the corner. 

    The boy from yesterday came to a full stop, and just stared. 

    Atropa looked at the boy, and skeptically took in every detail. His part of his hair that wasn’t shaved close to the skull was unruly, and partially in his face. His Gryffindor tie was untied and simply hung around his neck. The very top button of his off white button up was unbuttoned, making his collar flare wide. 

    While Atropa detailed the boy, Wolfbane and the Gryffindor has locked eyes. Poison green got lost in shining gold, and nobody wanted to break the silence. 

 


End file.
